The symphony is in four
movements. The structure of each movement is as follows: : Beethoven changes the usual pattern of
Classical symphonies in placing the
scherzo movement before the slow movement (in symphonies, slow movements are usually placed before scherzi). This was the first time he did this in a symphony, although he had done so in some previous works, including the
String Quartet Op. 18 no. 5, the
"Archduke" piano trio Op. 97, the
Hammerklavier piano sonata Op. 106.
Haydn too had used this arrangement in a number of his own works such as the
String Quartet No. 30 in E major, as did
Mozart in three of the
Haydn Quartets and the
G minor String Quintet.
I. Allegro ma non troppo, un poco maestoso The first movement is in
sonata form without an
exposition repeat. It begins with
open fifths (A and E) played
pianissimo by
tremolo strings. The opening, with its perfect fifth quietly emerging, resembles the sound of an orchestra
tuning up, steadily building up until the first main theme in
D minor at
bar 17. {{block indent| \relative c''' { \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"violin" \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 88 \key d \minor \time 2/4 \set Score.currentBarNumber = #17 \partial 32 d32\ff^\markup "First theme" a4~ a8.. f32 d8.. a32 f8. a32( f) d4~ d16 f'-. e-. d-. a'8-. g-. e-. a-. d,8.\sf } }} Before the development enters, the tremolous introduction returns. The development can be divided into four subdivisions, with adheres strictly to the order of themes. The first and second subdivisions are the development of bars 1–2 of the first theme (bars 17–18 of the first movement) . The third subdivision develops bars 3–4 of the first theme (bars 19–20 of the first movement). The fourth subdivision that follows develops bars 1–4 of the second theme (bars 80–83 of the first movement) for three times: first in A minor, then to F major twice. At the outset of the
recapitulation (which repeats the main melodic themes) in bar 301, the theme returns, this time played
fortissimo and in D , rather than D . The movement ends with a massive
coda that takes up nearly a quarter of the movement, as in Beethoven's
Third and
Fifth Symphonies. A performance of the first movement typically lasts about 15 minutes.
II. Molto vivace The second movement is a
scherzo and trio. Like the first movement, the scherzo is in D minor, with the introduction bearing a passing resemblance to the opening theme of the first movement, a pattern also found in the
Hammerklavier piano sonata, written a few years earlier. At times during the piece, Beethoven specifies one downbeat every three bars—perhaps because of the fast tempo—with the direction
ritmo di tre battute (rhythm of three beats) and one beat every four bars with the direction
ritmo di quattro battute (rhythm of four beats). Normally, a scherzo is in
triple time. Beethoven wrote this piece in triple time but
punctuated it in a way that, when coupled with the tempo, makes it sound as if it is in
quadruple time. While adhering to the standard
compound ternary design (three-part structure) of a dance movement (scherzo-trio-scherzo or minuet-trio-minuet), the scherzo section has an elaborate internal structure; it is a complete sonata form. Within this sonata form, the first group of the exposition (the statement of the main melodic themes) starts out with a
fugue in D minor on the subject below. with each pair of variations progressively elaborating the rhythm and melodic ideas. The first variation, like the theme, is in time, the second in . The variations are separated by passages in , the first in D major, the second in
G major, the third in
E major, and the fourth in
B major. The final variation is twice interrupted by episodes in which loud
fanfares from the full orchestra are answered by octaves by the first violins. A prominent French horn solo is assigned to the fourth player. A typical performance of the third movement lasts around 15 minutes.
IV. Finale The choral finale is Beethoven's musical representation of universal brotherhood based on the "
Ode to Joy" theme and is in
theme and variations form. {{Block indent| \new Score { \new Staff { \relative c { \set Staff.instrumentName = #"Vc." \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"cello" \set Score.currentBarNumber = #92 \time 4/4 \key d \major \clef bass \tempo "Allegro assai" 2 = 60 \set Score.tempoHideNote=##t \bar "" fis2\p( g4 a) | a4( g fis e) | d2( e4 fis) | fis4.( e8) e2 | fis2( g4 a) | a4( g fis e) | d2( e4 fis) | e4.( d8) d2 | \break e( fis4 d) | e( fis8 g fis4 d) | e( fis8 g fis4 e) | d( e a,) fis'~ | fis fis( g a) | a( g fis e) | d2( e4 fis) | e4.( d8) d2 } } } }} The movement starts with an introduction in which musical material from each of the preceding three movements—though none are literal quotations of previous music—are successively presented and then dismissed by
instrumental recitatives played by the low strings. Following this, the "Ode to Joy" theme is finally introduced by the cellos and double basses. After three instrumental variations on this theme, the human voice is presented for the first time in the symphony by the baritone soloist, who sings words written by Beethoven himself: ''''O Freunde, nicht diese Töne!' Sondern laßt uns angenehmere anstimmen, und freudenvollere
. ("Oh friends, not these sounds! Let us instead strike up more pleasing and more joyful ones!"). {{Block indent| \layout { indent = 2.5\cm } \relative c' { \set Staff.instrumentName = #"Baritone" \set Staff.midiInstrument = #"voice oohs" \set Score.currentBarNumber = #216 \bar "" \clef bass \key d \minor \time 3/4 \set Score.tempoHideNote = ##t \tempo 4 = 104 r4^\markup { \bold { \italic { Recitativo } } } r a \grace { a8^( } e'2.)(~ e4 d8 cis d e)~ e4 g,4 r8 g bes2( a8) e f4 f r } \addlyrics { O Freun -- de, nicht die -- se Tö -- ne! } }} At about 25 minutes in length, the finale is the longest of the four movements. Indeed, it is longer than several entire symphonies composed during the
Classical era. Its form has been disputed by musicologists, as
Nicholas Cook explains: Cook gives the following table describing the form of the movement: In line with Cook's remarks,
Charles Rosen characterizes the final movement as a symphony within a symphony, played without interruption. This "inner symphony" follows the same overall pattern as the Ninth Symphony as a whole, with four "movements": •
Theme and variations with slow introduction. The main theme, first in the cellos and basses, is later recapitulated by voices. •
Scherzo in a military style. It begins at
Alla marcia (bars 331–594) and concludes with a variation of the main theme with
chorus. • Slow section with a new theme on the text "Seid umschlungen, Millionen!" It begins at
Andante maestoso (bars 595–654). •
Fugato finale on the themes of the first and third "movements". It begins at
Allegro energico (bars 655–762), and two
canons on main theme and "Seid unschlungen, Millionen!" respectively. It begins at
Allegro ma non tanto (bars 763–940). Rosen notes that the movement can also be analysed as a set of variations and simultaneously as a concerto sonata form with double exposition (with the fugato acting both as a development section and the second tutti of the concerto). The text, without repeats, is shown below, with a translation into English. The score includes many repeats. In the last two sections of the text, Beethoven goes back to the
medieval sacred music tradition: the composer recalls a liturgical
hymn, more specifically a
psalmody, using the eighth
mode of
Gregorian chant, the
Hypomixolydian. The religious questions, simultaneously with the affirmations and exhortations, are musically characterized by archaistic moments, veritable "Gregorian fossils" inserted into a "quasi-liturgical" structure based on the sequence first versicle (male chorus) – response (full chorus) – second versicle (male chorus) – response (full chorus) – main hymn. Beethoven's employment of this sacred music style has the effect of attenuating the interrogative nature of the text when is mentioned the prostration before the supreme being. Towards the end of the movement, the choir sings the last four lines of the main theme, concluding with "Alle Menschen" before the soloists sing for one last time the song of joy at a slower tempo. The chorus repeats parts of "Seid umschlungen, Millionen!", then quietly sings, "Tochter aus Elysium", and finally, "Freude, schöner Götterfunken, Götterfunken!". ==Reception==